Chapter 1582: Chongzhen Is Getting Promoted Again!

Old Mountain, the Palace of Longevity.

The Retired Emperor Chongzhen, now nearly ninety years old, truly seemed to have become a man forgotten by the "Western Paradise" — year after year of idling away his days waiting to die, and yet he simply would not die... so much so that even he himself was getting a little anxious!

Sometimes he found it strange: why had he still not passed away? He had been Retired Emperor for over fifty years now, and he was getting thoroughly tired of it! He only wondered how the future histories would record a Retired Emperor of more than fifty years. Surely they would not say many good things about him?

When the filial son Zhu Cilang and the worthy grandson Zhu Hexing, along with the daughter-in-law Wu Sanmei and granddaughter-in-law Ding Yuying, all strolled together to the Palace of Longevity, the somewhat senile Retired Emperor Chongzhen was sitting in a glass pavilion, basking in the sun while his thoughts wandered.

His health was already very poor. He had fallen ill the year before and had never fully recovered, though it was not too serious, and it looked as though he could still live for a while. But his eyesight had grown dim (cataracts), and his mind had begun to grow muddled as well.

Lately he had been dreaming often, and several times he had dreamed that he was back in the siege of Beijing in the seventeenth year of Chongzhen!

But in the dream, no great filial son stepped forward to save the day. As a result, Beijing simply could not be held. He had wanted to flee, but he had not managed to escape either, and in the end he was driven up onto Coal Hill, where he found a crooked-necked tree and hanged himself with Wang Cheng'en's trouser belt...

That dream was truly inauspicious. Fortunately it was not real, or else the Great Ming might well have perished, and would he not have been a sovereign who lost his kingdom?

But Chongzhen did have his lucid moments. The moment his mind cleared a little, he would begin pondering his own temple name.

A "brilliant sovereign" who had been emperor for seventeen years and in the end could not even hold the capital — what fine temple name could he possibly get? Would it be Ming Huizong, or Ming Hunzong? One meant "slinking away in disgrace," the other "muddled and dim" — neither seemed quite right... How about Ming Fuzong?

Chongzhen felt he was far stronger than Emperor Huizong of Song. Did Song Huizong have so many fine sons who expanded the realm by ten thousand li and killed men like scything flax?

So Chongzhen felt he did have a certain measure of fortune and longevity. A Retired Emperor in his fifties, with more than a hundred descendants — since ancient times, few emperors had enjoyed such good fortune!

And although he himself could not fight, his sons and grandsons were all formidable, each more capable in battle than the last — that was good fortune! He would have to have a proper talk with that unfilial son Zhu Cilang later: the temple name must be "Fuzong."

"Imperial Father, Imperial Father... your son has come to see you. Are you well?"

The Retired Emperor Chongzhen was just pondering how to become Fuzong when he suddenly heard someone calling out loudly.

His eyes were failing, clouded with cataracts, and he could not see clearly, so he asked, "I have a great many sons, each more formidable than the last. Which one are you?"

"I am Cilang, Zhu Cilang! Do you still remember me?"

"Zhu Cilang... let me think," Chongzhen thought hard for a moment. "Are you the eldest?"

"Yes, yes, that's me... I have good news to tell Imperial Father!" The one who had come was of course the foremost filial son under heaven, the Hongxing Emperor of the Great Ming, Zhu Cilang.

"What good news?" Chongzhen opened his mouth and asked. "Are you going to send me more beauties again? Ah, I'm old now, not much use for them. But if you insist on sending them, then We shall reluctantly accept."

Zhu Cilang shook his head and said, "Imperial Father, I have not come to send you beauties. I have come to tell you that I am going to become Retired Emperor!"

Chongzhen started, then squinted his cataract-clouded eyes and stared dazedly at Zhu Cilang. "What? Have you been chased around by your son waving a sword too? Was it Lucky chasing you, or was it the Little Rich One chasing you?"

"No, no such thing... Grandfather, I am a filial son!" Zhu Hexing's voice immediately rang out. "How could a filial son do such a thing?"

Zhu Hexing was a true filial son — how would he dare do such a thing?

Chongzhen really was muddled with age, for he actually snorted, "Didn't my eldest son do exactly that? And didn't he always claim to be a filial son too?"

"Imperial Father... your son has never chased you with a sword!" Zhu Cilang frowned deeply. This Chongzhen must be suffering from senile dementia — how could he talk such nonsense? "Neither the Veritable Records of the Chongzhen Reign nor the Diaries of Activity and Repose of the Chongzhen Reign record any such thing, so no such event ever happened!"

Indeed, the histories contained no such record. According to the Veritable Records of the Chongzhen Reign and the Diaries of Activity and Repose of the Chongzhen Reign, it was clearly the Chongzhen Emperor who felt himself too incompetent and unworthy of his ancestors, and therefore insisted on yielding the throne to his wise and mighty son Zhu Cilang.

That was the most brilliant decision of Chongzhen's entire life!

Therefore, the matter of the filial son chasing the Chongzhen Emperor with a sword never happened! Hmm, and no one would ever know about it in the future.

"Truly it never happened?" Chongzhen thought for a moment. "Perhaps I misremember... Ah, old and muddled!"

"Yes, yes, you misremember, and Lucky would never dare do such a thing — he's timid." Zhu Cilang hastily changed the subject. "Imperial Father, your son intends to retire... your son is going to become Retired Emperor!"

"No, that won't do!" Chongzhen grew anxious at once. "If you become Retired Emperor, then what am I? Is my position as Retired Emperor to be usurped too?"

Usurpation had now reached even the position of Retired Emperor. Was there no justice left in the world?

Zhu Cilang did not know whether to laugh or cry, and could only patiently explain, "Imperial Father, once your son becomes Retired Emperor, you will advance one step further and become Retired Emperor Emeritus. How wonderful that would be!"

"Retired Emperor Emeritus..." Chongzhen mulled it over. "That does sound rather grand!"

"Of course it's grand!" Zhu Cilang said with a smile. "Your son congratulates you!"

Chongzhen waved a hand. "What's there to congratulate? Don't think I'm truly senile. Once I become Retired Emperor Emeritus, the greatest position in all the Great Ming will be that of Retired Emperor!"

Are you senile or not? Hearing Chongzhen say this, Zhu Cilang began to have his doubts, because the old man was absolutely right! Once he became Retired Emperor, wouldn't the greatest person in all the Great Ming be the Retired Emperor?

So the greatest position in the Great Ming could change! Back when Zhu Cilang was Army-Supervising Crown Prince, the Army-Supervising Crown Prince had been the greatest in the Great Ming. Later, when he became Emperor, the Emperor was greatest. Next, when he became Retired Emperor, the Retired Emperor would be greatest.

At this thought, Zhu Cilang glanced sidelong at his son Zhu Hexing. Zhu Hexing was nodding vigorously! Grandfather was right! From now on in the Great Ming, the Retired Emperor would be greatest, the Empress (Ding Yuying) second greatest, and he himself, the Emperor, would be third greatest — which, come to think of it, was not much different from before!

At that thought, more than half of Zhu Hexing's good mood vanished!

Wu Sanmei, who was still Empress for now, saw that the atmosphere had grown a little awkward and quickly stepped in to smooth things over. "Imperial Father, your elevation to Retired Emperor Emeritus is a joyous event for the whole realm. In all the long history of China, there has never yet been a Retired Emperor Emeritus — you, venerable sir, are the first!"

Exactly! the Retired Emperor Chongzhen thought to himself. There had never been a Retired Emperor of more than fifty years either! Look at that — he had managed both. Truly a cause for celebration!

"Well said!" Chongzhen laughed, looking quite pleased. "We are to become Retired Emperor Emeritus, and We are happy at heart. We must have a good drink or two — oh, and arrange for some Hu dancing girls to add to the entertainment! Eldest, at your seventieth birthday celebration, Anu, the Queen Mother of the Dzungars, sent you several Hu dancing girls, every one of them a fine singer and dancer. We should like to appreciate them as well!"

Galdan and Anu Khatun were both no longer among the living. The Dzungar Kingdom was now ruled by Galdan's youngest son, Choros Changshou (Tseren), with Changshou's mother Zhu Anu serving as regent. Zhu Anu was extremely devoted to Zhu Cilang, sending an endless stream of gifts and letters all year round, and she had even wanted to send the daughter she had borne to Galdan to Zhu Cilang's side. After Zhu Cilang refused, she selected a group of young girls from her domain, had them carefully trained, and then sent them to Zhu Cilang.

Chongzhen had somehow heard of this and wanted to appreciate the Hu dancing girls' songs and dances — but with his cataracts already so severe, could he even see them?

"Very well, as long as Imperial Father is happy," Zhu Cilang said. Seeing how old Chongzhen was, he decided to indulge the old man's wishes. "Your son will have Ajige arrange it for this evening. The two of us, father and son, will have a couple of cups together!"

(End of Chapter)